Sharing your faith

What's new? Witnessing conversation starter questions: talking about God's plan of salvation Difficult group members Improving your written work Want more out of life? God's hand at work Are the unevangelized "heathen" really lost? 10/40 Window Searching for God's will? An African martyr's statement on commitment Mission trip fund raising 10 ways to ruin mission trips Upcoming missions conferences and events Ministry, Church and Society course resources Linking to me

If lost people mattered to you the way they matter to God, what would your life look like?

It's a sin "What is the greatest crime in the desert?" "Finding water and keeping silent"    --Arab proverb

Your personal testimony: talking to people about a relationship with God and His plan of salvation

Are you a contagious Christian? Is your faith infectious?

"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith." -- Philemon 1:6

This witnessing assignment is for the course in Ministry, Church and Society course taught at Southern Nazarene University by Howard Culbertson.

Writing out your testimony will help you be ready to tell your story about Jesus to anyone who asks.

There are three reasons why personal testimonies impact people.

1. People who know you are interested in you and your life.
2. Other people can relate to your story.
3. They can't argue with the fact that your life has been changed.

Read Acts 26 to hear Paul telling his story.

1. Acts 26: 4-11 Before
2. Acts 26:12-18 How
3. Acts 26:19-23 After

Your answers to the following questions form your salvation testimony.

1. Before: your life before you knew Christ
   1. Before you came to Christ, where were you spiritually? How did that affect you -- your feelings, attitudes, actions, and relationships?
   2. Before you became a Believer, what were some ways God began drawing you to Christ?
2. How: your conversion
   1. What motivated you to invite Christ into your life as Lord and Savior?
   2. Specifically, how did you come to Christ, receive His forgiveness and submit to His Lordship?
   3. If a church played a part in your conversion, how did you come in contact with that congregation? Who and what do you remember from your first visits?
3. After: your new walk with Christ
   1. What changed in your life after you accepted Jesus as your Savior?
   2. Finish this sentence: "My prayer is....

Additional witnessing / soul-winning resources

• Should attempts at sharing our Christian faith with other people take into account the journey they are on? How serious are  we . . ?  More . . .
• Lyle Pointer's "spiritual conversation starters"
• Spiritual conversation openers
• Walking away -- a personal evangelism, soul-winning case study [ read case study ]
• PowerPoint on relational, friendship evangelism [ view presentation ] [ open as PowerPoint ]

Getting started talking about spiritual things?

How do you turn a friendly conversation into a chance to share Jesus with someone? [ read more ]

SNU missions course materials and syllabi

Howard Culbertson, Southern Nazarene University, 6729 NW 39th, Bethany, OK 73008  |  Phone: 405-491-6693 - Fax: 405-491-6658
Copyright © 2000, 2001 - Last Updated: March 16, 2006 |  URL: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/witness.htm

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Article by Howard Culbertson. For more original content like this, visit: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert